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| C is for Crumar |
| The Crumar Stratus... |
(oh, and Trilogy too!) |
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The Stratus is a two oscillator "divider" type
"Multi-Keyboard" with polysynth and four footage organ section.
The tone generation is totally polyphonic, however there are only six VCF
/ EG / VCA boards (Curtis Electro Music CEM3320 VCF, CEM3310 EG, CEM3330
Dual VCA) , so these are allocated certain groups of keys. Due to the
tone-divider system the overall sound is somewhat "organ-ish"
which is to be expected really! The hype from the UK dealers Chase
Music was considerable and not entirely correct either! The sections in red*
below are the anomalies, as the machine has only polysynth and organ
sections, not the string section which was featured on the Trilogy. |
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Transcription from advert appearing in 1983:
"The Crumar Stratus is the first polyphonic synthesiser that
satisfies the needs of both the creative synthesist and the multi-keyboard
player. It offers a powerful array of sound from the explosive to the
expressive. And yet the majority of the control comes from the keys you
play, not the dials you turn. The heart of the outstanding versatility is
found in the six actively engaged Filters and Envelopes that span the
keyboard. These generate true polyphonic capability, letting you depress
as many keys simultaneously as you want. Most polyphonic synthesisers are
limited to their five or six voice capability. Go beyond that and notes
drop out. The Stratus also features unique trigger modes (both Multiple
and Mono) which allow you to turn on the Oscillator Glide, reset the LFO
delay and alternate between sawtooth and square waves all directly from
the keyboard. You can retrigger a particular effect whenevera new note is
played, even though other keys are depressed. With most other polysynths
you can only play one sound at a time, but with the Stratus you can play 3
separate sounds simultaineously * from the polysynth section, organ
section and string section* for multilayering
effects. There are other noteworthy qualities to the Stratus like the two
independant oscillators, continuously variable and invertable envelopes
and polyphonic resonances. But we suggest you experience this 'synful
sound for youself at Chas. Its a devilishly exciting way to burn up a
stage." |
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the Crumar Spirit |
Next: the Crumar
Trilogy |
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